Salomon Quest 4D GTX Hiking Boot
One of the most popular and well known boots throughout Regiment is the Salomon Quest 4D GTX hiking boot. This boot in my opinion is hands down one of the best boots out there. I've worn these on multiple mission scaling moderate terrain and have worn them on countless training missions scaling moderate to extreme terrain. Using these boots for majority of Airborne jumps was common amongst the guys in our unit as the ankle support was unmatched. These boots are completely water proof as long as the water level is not higher than the top of the boot. I've even fallen in to a recently irrigated crop field overseas full of disgusting water and my feet were still dry after the operation, only my ankles were wet. These boots are moderately comfortable, but for what I'd consider to be a "heavy" boot they are not uncomfortable. The next great thing about these boots is that they last a century! I have had the same exact pairs for nine years now. Used on deployments, countless training cycles, jumps, and random things in between and they're still going strong. Unfortunately this boot seems to have been discontinued, however there has been a replacement, the Quest 4D Gore-Tex Forces 2, just a newer version of the classic. If you can find them somewhere new or even second hand I'd still recommend snagging them.
Ankle support- 10/10
Comfortability- 7/10
Weather proofing- 10/10
Longevity/Durability- 10/10
Overall- 9.25
SALOMON X ULTRA PIONEER MID WATERPROOF
Pretty common pair of boots that you'll see throughout the SOF community are these Salomons. The exact boots pictured have been discontinued but the boot listed is the essentially the same boot. Overall a great mission boot, will withstand moving across pretty rough terrain while offering good ankle support depending on the height you go with. Very waterproof so long as the water is not above the boot. This is a good "medium" boot to go with that is maybe not the most comfortable for a flat range or jumps, but a very practical boot for hard training and real world missions. Typically listed around $150.00 it is a pretty good option for your first pair of boots, a good do it all boot.
Ankle support- 7/10
Comfortability- 8/10
Weather proofing- 9/10
Longevity/Durability- 8/10
Overall- 8.0
INOV8 ROCLITE G 345 GTX V2
The Inov8's are a great range boot but would not recommend they be used for anything tactical. They have been worn on missions overseas and they are very uncomfortable as they have a very soft soul and little to no ankle support. I've seen these boots last as long as a single seven month training cycle so they certainly do not last long if you're going hard in them. For fast roping the soul burns out pretty quickly on the sides and is just a very limited use boot overall. If you want a great comfortable range boot then this is your boot. These boots can be pricey at about $180.00 but you can find great deals pretty often and easily.
Ankle support- 2/10
Comfortability- 9/10
Weather proofing- 6/10
Longevity/Durability- 4/10
Overall- 5.25
Salomon Speed Cross 5
Virtually my entire career, I've ran these Speed Cross shoes (Speed Cross 4-6) anytime that I haven't been restricted to AR 670-1 boots. I say "shoes" because technically these are not boots.These are technically trail running shoes but do work the same as a very light boot. Their greatest attribute is versatility. They are still my go to because they work great as a trail running shoe, in the gym, and I can also toss these on at work and do light to moderate work in them. I've worn these real world overseas on operations however I have not scaled any significant terrain while wearing them. I would not recommend the Gore-Tex version of these as because they are a low cut shoe anything such as dew on grass is going to go right over the top and still get your feet wet. They are not very durable but I typically got through about a training cycle and a deployment or half of another training cycle before they had to be thrown away. I would equate that to about a year and a half of hard use before I had to replace them. To wrap up, this is a great daily driver shoe haha.
Ankle support- 2/10
Comfortability- 9/10
Weather proofing- 3/10
Longevity/Durability- 6/10
Overall- 5
Garmont NFS
The Garmont NFS's are pretty good boots. They offer good ankle support while still being a generally light boot for an AR 670-1 boot. I myself have worn them through Ranger school and they performed exceptionally. They are not very water resistant but they do dry very fast. Also, great for rucking or moving long distances on your feet.
Ankle support- 7/10
Comfortability- 8/10
Weather proofing- 4/10
Longevity/Durability- 8/10
Overall- 7